The Ranger's Daughter
by Abbil
Summary: Years after his friends have died, Drizzt has a child with a surface elf. She had to leave that plane, however, and died, stranding the child on earth. Drizzt thinks both his wife and child are dead. His daughter, though, lives...
1. A Dream and a Nightmare

Ok, this is my first Forgotten Realms fic. I have posted another fic on another site, but that's it. I don't care if you flame, just as long as you give constructive criticism. I'm unsure about the rating, but I'll set it for PG-13 for language. Enjoy or don't, it's your choice. I'm just writing because I love to write. Also, I haven't read past the Icewind Dale trilogy, so forgive me if I make a few ignorant mistakes. Anyway, on with the fic!  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Drizzt or anyone else in the Forgotten Realms universe except for Lahna, Jyrl, and a few people I haven't picked names for yet. ____________________________________________________________________________ _________  
  
The girl was standing in a strange, dark place. Her eyes were tightly shut in fear. A quiet whisper came out of the black and floated to her ears. "Lahna... Open your eyes Lahna." The girl shook her head and whimpered, "No. I don't want to. I'm scared." "Lahna," the voice was gentle and infinitely patient, but still firm, "you must see. We have very little time. If you do not look now, you might never get the chance again. Come now," The voice continued, amused, "it is only a mirror." The words were harmless enough, but the girl was still unassured. Still, to the voice's silent pleasure, she forced her eyes open.  
  
She was not prepared for what faced her.  
  
Indeed, it was a mirror there, but the reflection was distorted. Her skin, normally dark brown, had deepened to ebony. Her hair, once platinum blonde, was now stark white. Odd in her normal appearance, her unique eyes looked even more exotic in this new face. She stared for a few minutes before realizing that there was a presence at her right elbow. Remembering the voice, she knew who it was, and that they meant no harm. She looked over to it, meaning to ask about the mirror. The words froze in her mouth when she saw who stood there.  
  
It was another reflection, this one of the figure in the mirror. Only, the one beside her was masculine. He looked at her and flashed her an impish grin that she knew well. "Well, now that you've seen what you needed to see, it is time for me to go. We will meet again soon, though. Count on it. Things are going to change rapidly for you. It is going to start right about...."  
  
"Lahna!! Lahna, get up!!" A more substantial voice called to her. "Now." The dream man finished before fading away entirely.  
  
"Lahna!! If you make me late for my wedding, I'll put you in a world of hurt! Now get your butt out of bed and get ready!!" The real, female, voice screamed from outside Lahna's bedroom. "I'm up, I'm up." Lahna muttered sleepily, rolling out of her bed and hitting the cold floor with a thump. She sighed and shook her head, trying to reclaim the fragmented shards of her dream. It was no use. She couldn't remember. "Oh, well." She mumbled to herself, "If it was important, I'll remember later." She slowly rose to her feet to get dressed to go to a wedding, at which she knew she would be bored out of her mind. It was her adoptive sister's wedding day, though, so she would have to grin and bear it.  
  
Lahna was getting very annoyed..  
  
The wedding was over, and she was now at the reception, along with the rest of the family. The entire, hugging, kissing, loud adoptive family. She loved them all, even the spoiled little children, but she was starting to get a major headache. It wasn't just the noise and perfume that was getting to her. Everything was too yellow. Her dress was yellow. The seat covers were yellow. Rug... yellow. Walls... yellow. Yellow, yellow, yellow. It wasn't her favorite color at all. In fact, she detested it. Still, she bore the monotonous coloring and obnoxious relatives with a smile on her face. It was her sister's big day, and she was determined nothing would ruin it. Thus, she got very angry when the caterers went missing after the first hour, and left them to fend for themselves. Lahna herself ended up taking over as best she could, setting up a buffet table and refilling empty platters whenever needed. Now, though, they were out of ice, and there was no more in the freezer. Groaning to herself, Lahna told her sister she had to go out to get something, and would be right back. She grabbed her dress coat, and went to a convenience store just down the street. She didn't have much money left, so she grabbed one bag of ice and hoped that everyone else was getting headaches too.  
  
//Rainy night in Georgia, Kentucky Rain,// Oh, no. Lahna thought to herself, Not that rain song. I hate that song. Now it'll be stuck in my head all day. //Here comes that rainy day feelin' again.// Grumbling quietly to herself, she went up to the counter and gave the blonde cashier her bag. "That'll be $2.16." The cashier said. Lahna dug around in her purse until she came up with a five. //Blue eyes cryin' in the early mornin' rain// As the woman handed over the change, an explosion sounded from across the street. Both women reflexively ducked, Lahna recovering first and dashing out the door to see a pillar of flame where her sister's reception had been. Her lavender eyes grew so wide the entire scene was reflected in their depths. In shock, she stood there for several moments before screeching like a madwoman and tearing down the street, forgetting both her ice and change.  
  
She bolted towards the wreckage, but was intercepted by a policeman just ten feet from the flames. "No! No! My family's in there! Let me go! No!" she kept screaming. The policeman holding her yelled to a nearby firefighter, "She says there were people in there!" The fireman shook his head and yelled back, "Nothing could be alive in that! Get her out of here!" The cop started to say something to the hysterical woman in his arms, but she had heard the fireman's reply. His kind words were drowned out by her shrill scream of denial. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" ____________________________________________________________________________ ___  
  
If you liked it, or even if you didn't, review. I'm well into chapter 2, and should be able to post it in a few days. 


	2. Marking the Years

Ok, it's me again. Thank you, my two reviewers. It would be easier to understand if you read the books, Matro. Even if you can't do that, it'll start making more sense in later chapters, as I'll start explaining myself as I go along. (Oh, by the way, if there are any missing or extra S's, you'll have to forgive me. That particular key is stuck on my keyboard.)  
  
In case you hadn't noticed, I finally completed chapter two, and (after a long search for a suitable floppy disc) got it posted here. Chapter 3 is probably going to take even longer, since I have barely started it. Later on, it will start going faster since I started this fic in the middle. Well, without further ado, here's the fic!  
  
Oops, almost forgot. *Disclaimer: I do not own Forgotten Realms, Drizzt, or any other recognizable characters. Lahna, Michelle, and the blonde man are mine, as are several other future characters. Borrow them if you like, but I'm not sure why anyone would want to. ____________________________________________________________________________  
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Marking the Years  
  
Exactly one year had gone by, and Lahna was a very different person. Now her light hair was typically pulled back into a sloppy ponytail to keep it our of her eyes. Those eyes had grown harder, colder somehow, and now glared at you like shards of purple stone. Her entire wardrobe, once expansive and full of bright colors, consisted entirely of two faded black shirts, two pair of ripped out jeans, and a shiny black leather jacket. She was every inch the biker chick.  
  
The biggest changes, though, were on the inside. The sudden loss of the only family she had ever known had made her bitter, but at the same time curious about her real family. What were they like? Did she have brothers and sisters? Aunts and uncles? Were her parents together? Were they even alive? Answering those questions, along with finding out why her adoptive family had been incinerated, became her all-consuming quest. Cast adrift, alone, she used the money she had inherited by being the closest living relative left to most of those who had died in that explosion to buy a motorcycle and wander the country, hoping against hope that she might find her answers.  
  
Believing that something so important needed to be remembered in style, she found herself pulling her bike up to a sleazy little bar in her hometown on the anniversary of the event that changed her life so dramatically.  
  
Lahna walked into a cloud of smoke, and gave a single appraising glance around the place. Satisfied with the number of drunks already slumped over the bar and tables, she made her way to a stool in a corner. There were enough boozers in there that one more would not be noticed. The bartender took longer than she would have liked to get to her, but he eventually made his way over to where she sat, alone. "Whatcha want, honey?" He asked. "Vodka." Lahna answered quietly, "Lots of vodka." The bartender whistled, "You look kinda young fer somthin' like that. I'm gonna need to see yer ID." She slapped her license down on the bar in annoyance and snapped, "I'm 25 and I want my damn liquor." He checked her card and, without another word, put a full shot glass in front of her. She knocked it back, grimaced, and demanded, "Another."  
  
"What's wrong, honey?" One man who was not so drunk as to be incapable of coherent speech asked her, reading her pain as if it were stamped in bold red letters across her forehead. She smiled grimly into her glass and said, "I'm marking an anniversary." "You seem kinda dull to be celebratin'." He replied. "I never said it was pleasant." Lahna retorted sharply, then snapped at the bartender, "Are you going to get me another, or do I have to get it myself?" He complied, and then wandered off to take someone else's order. "A little grumpy aren't we?" The man remarked. "I have a right to be." She muttered quietly before swallowing the fiery liquid. She motioned for the barkeep to come back over and told him, "You might as well just leave the bottle." When her server had walked away again, the not-quite-drunkard asked, "What's your problem? You look like somebody died." Sudden memory brought tears to Lahna's eyes. Blinking them back, she spat, "It's none of your damn business!" "Now just a minute- " "I said," She interrupted, her voice deadly calm and her eyes chips of lavender ice, "it's none of your damn business. Now be on your way." The man saw a world of pain in her eyes, and knew if he didn't withdraw he would be in it. Slowly, he backed up and finally left the girl to her drink. "If there's one thing I can't stand, it's a nosy drunk." Lahna muttered into her glass, then emptied it again. She spent the next hour or so seeing how drunk she could get herself before passing out.  
  
She wasn't even close when a drunken idiot behind her started singing.  
  
"Rainy night in Georgia, Kentucky rain, here comes that rainy day feelin' again..." The off-key voice faded out as the girl began to relive painful memories again. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" A dull thunk pulled her from the past's clutches. One of the singer's companions had smacked him upside the head and slurred, "Shut up you idiot. You're depressing the hell outta me." "Ow!! What was that for, Michelle?" The amateur singer exclaimed, but stopped the torture. Again, Lahna began muttering into her glass. "Thank god." She remarked. Apparently, though, she was more intoxicated than she thought, and it came out louder she had planned. Michelle heard her, and turned to face her. Upon seeing Lahna's face, she got out of her chair and wondered, a little unsteadily, to the darker girl's stool. "Hey, I know you! It'd be hard to forget a face like that. You were in the store I was working at, the day that wedding reception blew up. And you were on the news afterwards, too. You just kept cryin' and screamin' like you had gone nuts or somethin'." Lahna's eyes lost focus as the memory one more pushed through the fog of alcohol. **************************************************************************** ************** FLASH "She says there were people in there!" The fireman shook his head and yelled back, "Nothing could be alive in that! Get her out of here!" The cop started to say something to the hysterical woman in his arms, but she had heard the fireman's reply. His kind words were drowned out by her shrill scream of denial. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" FLASH **************************************************************************** ************** Her past echoing shrilly in her own head, Lahna swallowed another shot against the sudden tightness in her throat. Suddenly, she wanted nothing more than to get rid of this woman. Drunken anger flared to life within her, burning off the debilitating effects of downing so much vodka. "Fuck off." She said quietly. "What did you just say?" Michelle whispered in disbelief. Courage boosted by alcohol, Lahna repeated loudly, "I said, 'Fuck off.'" "I KNOOOOOOW YOU DIDN'T!!" Michelle bellowed, and threw Lahna's half full(or half empty?) bottle at the other woman's head. Inebriated as she was, she missed by a mile. Still, Lahna's rage reached a boiling point due to the waste of her drink. Her fist connected squarely with Michelle's chin, knocking the woman backwards. Right into a man carrying his mug back to his table.  
  
That man fell into a group, spilling beer everywhere. He started to apologize, but was cut off by a fist. One of his buddies came over to even the score, and an all-out brawl soon ensued. Only one person was not participating in the melee. A slim blonde man just sat at his table sipping his drink and watching with obvious amusement.  
  
Lahna, firmly caught up in the battle and glad to be there, did not notice. She was in her element, hurling fists and feet and the occasional shot glass with a speed and accuracy she never knew she possessed. She was untouchable. That is, until Michelle recovered her footing, and swung a pool cue at Lahna's head. This time, she did not miss. The world went black.  
  
Poor Lahna just can't catch a break, can she? Hopefully, she'll have better luck later on.  
  
I need a name for a drow, if anyone can think of one. I have a house name, I just need the first. Put it in a review, if you would. Well, I'm in class, so I should probably wrap this up. Read and review, and feel free to flame of course. 


	3. Revelations

The Ranger's Daughter  
Revelations  
  
Thud. Thud. Thud.  
  
Even before she returned fully to consciousness, Lahna knew that it was going to be a bad day. This feeling was driven home forcefully when she slitted her eyes open and was greeted squarely with a shaft of bright sunlight.  
  
Thud! Thud! Thud!  
  
Reflexively, she squeezed her eyelids shut and turned her face quickly away from the offending light. Too quickly. The sudden movement only intensified her pounding headache.  
  
THUD! THUD! THUD!  
  
A soft moan forced it's way out of her throat before she could stop it. "Not again..." she groaned. "Ah, you are awake!" an irritatingly cheerful voice announced loudly, causing her to wince. More slowly this time, she once again opened her eyes. The light still stung; her eyes were sensitive even without a hangover, but it was bearable now. Slowly, she turned her head to face the chipper source of the noise. Behind black bars, she saw a tall, slim man with longish blonde hair, smiling at her. "Who the hell are you?" Lahna croaked. "Me?" The man asked. "I don't see anyone else out there annoying me. Now who are you?" She snapped. The man responded in a matter of fact tone that, coupled with his words, sent her into a momentary state of shock. "I am your uncle." ____________________________________________________________________________ __  
  
Alright, I know it was way too short, and the wait was far too long, but I was having difficulties. My muses abandoned me so I was stuck at the beginning of this for weeks, and then I wrote what I have here, and now I've got another block. Take heart, though. This time the block is a smaller one, and I will be working on it. Things should go a bit smoother now that I've finally got her uncle introduced. After another chapter, or maybe two, I've got a series of chapters pre-written. Again, sorry it took so long for me to get this disappointing little excerpt out, but sometimes it can't be helped. Writers block really sucks. 


	4. Finally a Name

Run away!! It's me again!! Ok, don't kill me, but it's another short one. I just can't seem to get going once I've stopped. I'm working at it again, now, so I might be able to get out a decent sized chapter sometime this year. I'm not really happy with what I have here, but it's better than what I had before. Again, I'm sorry it's so short, but I can't help it. My muses went skiing.  
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The Ranger's Daughter  
Finally a Name  
  
Lahna's face was a perfect picture of disbelief. She sat, her mouth agape, and tried to make sense of her jumbled thoughts. [I]He couldn't be. It's just not possible...is it?[/I] The man just stood there, smiling. That chipper grin never faltered; not even when Lahna started yelling harshly, "You damn liar! How could you?! How dare you come in here and joke about that! Get the HELL out of here! I never want to see your smug face again!" If anything, his brilliant smile only got wider as he replied, "I assure you that I am telling you the honest truth. If you want me to leave, I will. Who will bail you out of here then, I wonder?"  
  
[I]He's bailing me out? Why would he, unless he really is family? Unless he just wants me to think that... But what if he really is telling the truth, and I offend him. I could lose the only link I have to my real family. But if he's lying, I'll be setting myself up for another heartbreak.[/I] After thinking herself into so many circles, her hangover, forgotten in the excitement, returned with a vengeance. Fighting a losing battle with her stomach, Lahna began to retch. Frantically, she looked around for something to empty her heaving stomach into. "The toilet is over there." The blonde pointed her in the right direction. Gratefully, she rushed to it and proceeded to be violently sick. Finally done, she wiped her mouth and said warily, "Alright, prove it. If you're my uncle, show me proof. Get me out of here and into some aspirin, and we'll talk. If you're lying to me, I'll make sure you're very sorry. Before I go anywhere with you, though, I need to know your name." "It's Shannon." He answered.  
  
As always, feel free to flame if you feel like it. I promise to try to get things out faster, and longer of course. See ya next time, kids! 


	5. Bearer of Bad News

My **God**! It's been **forever** since I wrote on this... Well, I tried to make this chapter at least a little longer than the last two. Plus, I think my writing style has matured a bit since I last posted anything on this, but I'm not sure I'm an accurate judge. I know that one short chapter isn't much to go on, but could someone maybe give me their opinion? It seems to help me get myself straightened out when I have someone impartial to bounce my thoughts off of.

By the way, I want to apologise for the state of the previous chapters. I thought they were in better shape formatwise, and I shall have to go and fix them as soon as possible!

Also, I lost the house name I had planned to use. Could I perhaps get a new idea from someone? Sorry to keep bugging you guys for names, but most of mine come from me hitting the keyboard with my head and seeing what interesting letter combinations come out. It doesn't work very well...

Anyway, here at long last is chapter 5.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Forgotten Realms. I currently own only Lahna, Jyrl, Shannon, Michelle, a few other random characters not relevent to this story, and a grand total of 12 dollars. Try to be nice to the poor person (looks pitiful)

A cup of strong coffee, two asprin, a change of clothes, and an hour and a half later, Lahna was feeling almost human again. This perception was aided by the fact that her psuedo-uncle had ceased his annoyingly chipper chatter. Giving up what she was certain would turn out to be her last few moments of peace for the rest of the morning, Lahna gave a small sigh and said, "Now, give me some info."

Shannon gave her a small smile. "You might not believe or like what I'm about to say, but you did ask" He warned. "I am your mother's brother, and I've come a long way to find you... Longer than you might think. From another plane of existence, as a matter of fact." Seeing Lahna's face tighten, he hastily began to explain, "Think of different planes almost like rooms in a house. Each room is unique and inclosed in itself. However, there are small openings that can allow things to slip into other planes. Think of these openings almost as cracks in the wall. While she was pregnant with you, your mother was forced to flee through one of these 'cracks'. I tracked her down, and learned that she had gone into labor while trying to pass through this 'crack,' and had been taken to a nearby hospitol. Not knowing what they were doing to her, the doctors pumped her full of medicines that proved toxic. She died soon after your birth. Saddened by the loss of my sister, but determined that you would not be lost as well, I tried to find you. Unfortunately, you had already been placed for adoption, and I was unable to prove my identity. For the next 24 years I watched you from afar. After the tragedy last year, I was prepared to come forward and let you know you were not alone, but you dissappeared. I was lucky enough to guess where you might be last night, and now here we are." Finally falling silent, Shannon glanced over to guage her reaction to this revalation.

Stone faced, Lahna stared back at him. Once she was sure he was done with his tale, she showed her feelings beyond the shadow of a doubt. "Stop the car." She demanded coldly. Shannon tried to calm her, "Now, don't do anything ra-"

"Stop. The. Car. Now." Lahna's voice was frigid, but her eyes burned with rage. Knowing that what was about to happen was unavoidable, and not wanting to cause an accident, Shannon did as she asked. He turned to face her, planning on trying once more to soothe her, but was greeted by a fist to the nose. "You are scum. I didn't realize just how many people there were like _you_ in the world until this happened to me. You want to belittle my loss for your own sick pleasure... Well, I can't allow you to do that." Punching him again for good measure, Lahna grabbed the bag with her meager possesions and left. Wiping the blood from his face, Shannon muttered to himself, "Well, that worked out nicely..."

After hitchiking her way back to the bar to pick up her bike, Lahna decided to leave her and never come back again. She was determined to leave this town and all it's unpleasant memories as far behind her as she could, but there was one more thing to do here, first. Tears she had refused to shed in front of Shannon refused to stay back any longer. On her knees in the grungy parking lot of a grimy bar, she sobbed like a lost child. She wept for the family she had lost, the family she had never known, and for the family she might have made on her own someday. Most of all, she wept for herself and the bitter disappointment she had just faced. Countless times she had found someone claiming to be a long lost relative, and countless times she had found them to be false. Countless times she had cried in secret, too scared to show any weakness. Once her wracking sobs had tapered off into sniffles, Lahna pulled on her helmet, hopped on her bike, and rode away.

On the road, her grief focused itself into a white hot rage. _Asshole asshole stupid asshole and his stupid girly hair and his stupid asshole grin should have knocked his teeth in _So focused on her anger, she did not notice her speedometer rapidly climbing. Nor did she see the lights behind her untill they were right on her tail. Snapping back to reality, Lahna tried to slow down; unfortunately, the large vehicle behind her did not. _What the hell... Reckless idiot. _she rolled her eyes at herself _there goes the provervial pot... Gotta give this guy room to get around so I can slow down. _Regaining her speed for the moment, she drifted over towards the shouder and tried to wave the person behind her around. Rather than passing her by, the vehicle picked up even more speed and followed her movements. _What the! Man.. I gotta lose this dumbass before he gets me killed!_ Accelerating as far as she felt she could without losing control and wrecking, Lahna tried her best to outrun the maniac behind her. To her surprise and horror, the larger car not only kept pace, but began inching even closer to her back wheel. "Shit!" Saying a little prayer to whoever might be listening, the girl sped off just as fast as she could go.

Her timing was unfortunate. A curve snuck up on her, and she was suddenly flying through the air. Afraid that she would be crushed by her own bike when she landed, Lahna vaulted off of it with all the strength she could muster. She was rewarded with a tree trunk to the face. For the second time in two days, Lahna's world went black.


End file.
